Expanding Options & Partnerships at The Stanley Hotel

One of Colorado’s best-known lodging properties, The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, has announced two key partnerships and two new venues in 2018 that will help ensure a successful future for the iconic property that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The latest is an announcement in tandem with AEG Presents Rocky Mountains regarding the expansion of a five-year collaborative history between the two entities. Under the new arrangement, the entertainment lineup at the The Stanley is expanding to an anticipated 60 nights a year that will include new artists and events that grow the diversity and scope of programming.

“It all started when we were approached by Adam Turla and the band Murder by Death in 2013 to create a new type of concert experience,” explains AEG Presents Rocky Mountains Vice President of Talent Scott Campbell. “From year one at The Stanley, the feedback from the fans and the band was overwhelming, drawing sellout crowds from across the country.”

In fact, the Murder By Death concert series is expanding to a five-night run over two weekends in January 2019, filling hotel rooms and restaurants across Estes Park.

Over the past three years, The Stanley began promoting its own lineup of concerts and events, attracting national touring acts like Los Lobos, David Crosby, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. The property also launched a successful four-day horror film festival (a natural fit since the hotel was the inspiration behind Stephen King’s novel and the movie “The Shining”), TED Talk-style speaker series and a number of high-profile comedy events with Comedy Works Entertainment featuring artists like Jim Breuer and Tom Papa.

“We owe much of the Stanley Live success to the idea planted by AEG Presents,” says The Stanley Vice President Reed Rowley. “It was only logical that we further combine forces and take the entertainment program at The Stanley to the next level.”

The announcement arrived on the heels of The Stanley’s plan to advance construction on the 40,000-square-foot Stanley Film Center, which received an $11.6M award from the State of Colorado under the Regional Tourism Act. Once complete, the film center will include an auditorium that holds 1,200, feature evolving exhibits and host film screenings, educational programs, concerts and events.

The Stanley also introduced a new $10 million building, The Pavilion, earlier in 2018 to add a variety of event spaces with views of the Rocky Mountains. The 300-seat amphitheater with a retractable glass backdrop has a private pond, floating stage and cascading waterfalls. The stand-alone venue also includes two event rooms, The Aspen

and The Willow, that reinvent the classic architecture and interior design of The Stanley Hotel. Both spaces include large outdoor balconies that overlook the pond.

This project also involves a partnership, this time with Denver-based Occasions Catering, which exclusively provides food and beverage service at The Pavilion. Executive Chef Chris Meier has tailored his Colorado-centric menus to the new venue, featuring native fish and game with contemporary flavors.

Groups stand to benefit from all these happenings, so make sure to check out the latest options at The Stanley.

The PCMA Education Foundation Leadership Committee has elected its 2019 Board of Trustees. Officers and trustees will take office immediately following PCMA’s annual meeting at the 63rd Convening Leaders in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in January 2019.

Convening Leaders 2019 will take place Jan. 6 - 9 in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The calendar might still say 2018, but meeting professionals know it’s time to start planning for 2019 events. One of the biggest decisions always lies in where to host destination conferences. The best way to help narrow down a city? Take inspiration from the best of 2018.

This is the fourth year in a row that I’ve helped with the Colorado Governor’s Tourism Conference and the 12th that I’ve attended. Nothing beats meeting face-to face, seeing friends and colleagues from around the state and beyond, and experiencing great Colorado destinations like Vail.